…and other messy things about my life.

Tumbleweeds. An Introduction.

Did you know that tumbleweeds aren’t only in the south? I honestly thought that they only existed in the hot southern states, where I lived with my hubby before our big move to North Dakota this past November. Lo and behold, they dance across my back “yard” multiple times a week!

I say “yard” because right now it’s a muddy mess. No grass. Just mud. The field behind our house looks delightfully green in contrast to our dark mud. I’m so anxious to have a beautiful yard to take my son out to play in. It will be so fun watching him explore the outdoors!

I recently renamed my blog. I changed it from “Bumps Along the Way” which seemed appropriate during my pregnancy, to “Tumbleweeds in My Backyard… and other messy things about my life”, which definitely seems appropriate now. Don’t get me wrong. The Lord has blessed us greatly. We have a wonderful home, a sweet little boy, good friends, a fantastic church family, supportive family both near and far. But my house is a mess right now. And sometimes its hard to look past the mess (mud) and see the blessings (green grass) that are also right in front of me, but sometimes feel a little more distant.

I had an epiphany today. About being a mom/housewife/wifey. I should sit down and write out what kind of the above I actually want to be. And then how I can actually accomplish that goal. This may seem like a “duh” thought… and I’m sure that I’ve had it before… but it actually hit me today.

Do I want to be the mom with a clean, orderly house all the time? Because I could. If I really wanted to, I could whip out my cleaning charts, and make use of every second that Flynn is sleeping.

Do I want to be a super in-shape mom and go to the gym every day, take up jogging, go Vegan and stop drinking Coke Zero? I suppose I could accomplish that too, if I wanted.

But what I want is this: I want to take part in Flynn’s life joyfully and be fully present. I want to change my mindset of “I have so much to do, but I have to sit here and play with him or he fusses” to “what new things can I teach this precious kiddo today?”. And honestly, that’s not easy. I know people always give the advice, “soak this time up, you’ll miss it…” which irritates me a little (sorry if you’ve said that to me). But really, it IS hard to let go of things that “need” to get done, and just sit and enjoy playing with squeaky toys and play remotes. Something about that feels lazy. Anyone else? If you’ve mastered this PLEASE give me a hint! And as for being the super fit mom… I HATE jogging. But I CAN be more persistent and consistent about staying active, attending some yoga classes, hitting the weights. I just need to set up some goals, make them doable, and then do them.

Another piece to this tumbleweed life of ours is that my thyroid is very low. I’m waiting on ultrasound results and will start medication after a visit with my endocrinologist. Because of my thyroid I feel exhausted beyond typical “mom tired”. I look forward to getting my levels evened out and being able to engage a little more fully in life!

So here’s my goal, and maybe you’d like to join me whether you’re a tired mom or not! Let’s make some goals we know we can accomplish! Just for a week! And see if we can’t give ourselves the boost we need to keep going, to engage even more fully, and not let dirty floors and piles of laundry drag us down.
Next post: GOALS, and WAYS I PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH THEM!
(btw I seriously am drowning in laundry, and I haven’t unpacked my bag from a trip I got back from almost a week ago.)

Feel free to share your goals and confessions below:

Off topic: My husband got me a Nikon camera for my first Mother’s Day, which I am THRILLED about, so you’ll have to excuse my ammeter attempts at photography! Let me know of any photography blogs to follow!